So, you have purchased your Shurley curriculum, you open the book or access your digital teacher’s manual…and then it hits you! “What’s all this? How am I going to cover all of it? Can I even do it?” If you have had these or similar feelings, don’t panic. It’s going to be all right.

My post today is about confidence. Yes! You can teach with confidence, especially if you are just embarking upon your first journey with Shurley English. I realize that the sheer volume of information about English that we teach might be enough to send you to the edge. But, pull back. Breathe. Help is on the way.

Narrow the Field: First, don’t view the entire bulk of the curriculum in preparation for your school year. Look at it in terms of only a school day…in other words, narrow the field. By nature, our brains can get way too overwhelmed by all the text you find in Shurley. Believe it or not, when I first started teaching this curriculum, I only needed to stay a day or two ahead of my students. Sure…preview the student objectives because they are a guideline for WHAT you will be teaching during a specific chapter and lesson. However, the crux of the teaching is found in the References. They are numbered for you, so simply read the teaching scripts and the References found in only the first lesson you plan to teach. Make any notes you might think will be handy when you start working with the materials and teaching the kids.

Pre-learn the Jingles: Next, make sure you know the jingles that accompany the lesson before you actually teach them. You will reflect confidence to your student if you already know each jingle well. Spend the first minutes of every session practicing the jingle with your learner(s). If you have our Jingle Posters, chunk the verses a bit to make them more bite-sized. With a marker, draw brackets around each section you want to rehearse. It’s easier to add on new verses of the same jingle over several lessons.

Pre-read the Scripts: As you move into the Question and Answer Flow, pre-read the scripts before actually teaching. Start slowly. You don’t even have to do all of the sentences required during the same lesson at the beginning of your school year. You and your student(s) will gain momentum quickly! (If you find that you would like to supplement your sentence work, you can check out our Sentence Booklets for extra practice.)

Pre-determine Words: Finally, to help build your confidence in the area of teaching writing, again, preview the Builder Sentence Blueprints that occur every so often in the program. The first time you introduce the concept, make sure you have pre-determined some of your own words you want to use for composing your sentence. That way, as you invite your learners to volunteer answers for the spaces on the grid, you have a pre-planned word to use if everyone gets stymied. You will appear to be completely in control and very confident during what might seem like an intimidating exercise.

The bottom line rule for growing in your confidence is more about a balanced ratio of pre-reading to avoid surprises and following the script when it is provided! You will quickly gain the confidence you need by rehearsing your lessons beforehand in the ways I have outlined above. Good luck! And, don’t forget, you can always call our office and speak with any one of our expert customer service representatives. If you just need to talk, or if you want a boost of confidence, don’t go to silence. Call us at 800-566-2966.

It’s that time of year again, and most teachers are trying their best to enjoy their final days of summer break. It’s hard to believe that some schools have already started professional development opportunities for their staff members. Before you know it, your own classroom will be filled with a new group of young learners.

Some teachers are looking forward to teaching a new curriculum this year. Even though that can be exciting and motivating, it can also cause feelings of nervousness. Some teachers have a curriculum in place with nothing new to add. For these teachers, feelings of confidence about the content are more likely to occur. Either way, it’s helpful to be reminded of curriculum goals and to be re-motivated to teach certain subjects.

If Shurley English training is not on your professional development schedule this year, I’m here to remind you of your goal when you teach the curriculum…

First, I highly recommend for you to read my previous blog post titled, The Perfect Shurley Teacher; it will help to relieve any unnecessary pressure you might have placed upon yourself when teaching the curriculum.

Next, I’d like to expand on a paragraph in that post that reads:

“Your goal is to complete one lesson per day (if possible), and if you finish the book…GREAT! But, that’s not the goal! The long term goal is to teach your students how to make the grammar-writing connection so they can be successful communicators for the rest of their lives.”

When teachers receive their new teacher’s manuals and student textbooks, many look at the size of the book(s) and automatically decide whether or not they’ll be able to finish the book(s) by the end of the school year. When I show my trainees the size of their Shurley English books, their faces say, “How will I ever finish those books?” Remember that finishing the book is not your goal! Let that go.

Your goal is to build a competent, confident communicator using the Shurley English curriculum!

All you have to do is follow the lessons step-by-step. The features are set up so that your students receive the knowledge, skill, and practice they need to help them understand how grammar connects to writing and ultimately leave your classroom feeling like they own the English language. Each unique feature in the curriculum is purposeful and prepares your students to become successful communicators for life; therefore, every grade level plays a vital role in this development. (If you need a bit more motivation, here’s another insightful blog post on Trusting the Process of Shurley English.)

This new school year is going to be an impactful one because you have all the tools you need to build competent, confident communicators! BEST of LUCK in 2019-2020

Most of my blog content comes from questions I’ve answered at one time or another from teachers and administrators who use Shurley English. I often hear the urgency in their voices, and they seem to be looking for a quick fix to the problems their students are experiencing. Sure, we all want quick results, but usually by the time you manage to find just the right curriculum or just the right supplement to your teaching, the students have moved on. Then, you get a new batch of students with similar but unique struggles, and you’re back at it again, trying to find what works and what works fast.

Even though we, as a society, rely on instant gratification, immediate feedback, and quick results, the outcome of an exemplary education won’t happen that way. Honestly, we all know there are NO quick fixes that produce the quality results we’re seeking, not in life or in curriculum.

In a previous blog, I broached the topic of having patience and of trusting the process. This is true of any quality curriculum, but especially so with Shurley English. You have to tap into your reservoir of patience—patience with yourself, patience with students, and patience with the curriculum. Academic growth will manifest quickly in your students’ grammar and writing, but only after you have invested the upfront time needed to lock in the foundational patterns and strategies.

Note to Kindergarten – 3rd Grade Teachers: Patience may be harder to come by for the lower level teacher of Shurley English because classroom management issues often chew up instructional time. So, be patient out there, all you Kindergarten through 3rd grade teachers! Remember, you are the heroes who lay the grammar and writing foundations on which the later teachers can build upon.

Yes, Shurley English sometimes requires you to teach concepts that you may not have had to handle until a much later grade in your own schooling. Just because you didn’t have the opportunity to learn in such a dynamic way personally, you need to know that you are exposing your young learners to concepts they will master in time, not necessarily with you. You may not get to see the beautifully written masterpiece that the upper grade level teachers will see, but the foundational concepts you teach are vital.

Note to 4th – 8th Grade Teachers: Middle elementary teachers, dig deeper into your reservoir of patience. Your kiddos are still trying to figure out this organized writing thing, and you are helping them to understand the connection between grammar and writing. Middle school teachers-have patience when trying to fill in the gaps, and smile when you’re the one that gets to submit their 5-Paragraph Essay to the writing contest!

Society often relies on instant gratification, immediate feedback, and quick results, but the outcome of an exemplary education won’t happen that way. It’s all about patience! Shurley English sets you and your students up for success, but you must be patient. If you want quality-you’re in the right textbook! If you want a confident, competent writer-be more patient. Remember…

Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.

Shurley English

Shurley English is the best English Language Arts curriculum available to public schools, private schools, and home educators.Shurley English is a rigorous curriculum that brings back student-teacher interaction, promotes higher-order thinking skills, and provides students with a successful base from which they can achieve mastery, retention, and enthusiasm for English.

Our mission is to inspire and empower ALL students to become competent, confident communicators by providing superior educational solutions and innovative teacher training tools. This will enable all students to positively impact their school, community, and future work environments.